Kansas will host West Virginia in Allen Fieldhouse Saturday, March 2, at 1 P.M. on CBS. The Jayhawks are coming off a 108-96 overtime victory at Iowa State on ESPN’s Big Monday, Feb. 25. The game marked the 500th all-time victory for KU head coach Bill Self after he was confronted by an angry fan.
With its win at Iowa State on Monday, Kansas has guaranteed itself a spot in the quarterfinals of the 2013 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship. Kansas, ranked No. 6 in the Associated Press and No. 5 in the USA Today Coaches’ polls released February 25, is 24-4 (12-3 Big 12). The Jayhawks are 15-1 at home, 7-2 in road games and 2-1 on neutral courts in 2012-13.
From KUAthletics.com, West Virginia is 13-15 on the season and 6-9 in Big 12 play after its 65-62 lost to Baylor on Wednesday, February 27. The Mountaineers are coached by Bob Huggins who is 133-71 in his sixth season at WVU, his alma mater, and 723-282 in his 31st season overall. West Virginia is 8-5 at home, 3-7 in road games and 2-3 on neutral courts in 2012-13. WVU averages 65.6 points per game and gives up 66.1. The Mountaineers are outrebounding foes 35.8 to 33.7 and average 7.4 steals per contest. WVU forces 14.4 turnovers per game.
Kansas and West Virginia are meeting for only the second time in men’s basketball with the previous being earlier this season when the Jayhawks defeated the Mountaineers 61-56 on January 28 in Morgantown. Kansas head coach Bill Self is 1-0 all-time against West Virginia, while Bob Huggins is 0-5 versus Kansas.
This looks to be a straightforward game for the Jayhawks. West Virginia is having a tough season and Kansas is riding a high coming off it’s largest points total of the season from the overtime win over ISU. They also proved their valor with a tough win on the road in a hostile environment against a solid basketball team. Iowa State should be in the NCAA tournament come March, so they are no pushover. KU stood toe to toe and traded punches for 45 minutes to bring a win home. Playing a lesser team in WVU at home in front of their fans, KU should have ample energy reserves to draw upon to control the game from tip to final buzzer.
There are always those TCU games where Kansas could come out flat and allow a team to take advantage, but KU has only lost to a good OSU team at home. Look for KU to walk away with a win.
Kansas will host Texas Tech on Monday, March 4, at 6 P.M. on ESPNU for Senior Night, honoring Elijah Johnson, Travis Releford, Jeff Withey and Kevin Young.
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